Rewind six years and I find myself preparing for my first personal interview of my professional life. The interview was for a summer internship during my Undergraduate course.
Filled with excitement and nerves, rehearsing my answers, somewhere within I felt something is missing in the way I am delivering answers. With the help of a few mock interviews conducted by my colleagues, I received consistent feedback that my answers are good and well prepared but there seems to be a lack of confidence when I delivered them.
Keeping the feedback in my mind and puzzled over how can I imbibe that last bit of confidence? I went out of my college to buy mandatory formal clothing for internship interviews and also catch a break. With few recommendations from my colleagues for apparel brands in my mind I set out on my quest.
After trying out a few brands I was still not convinced I felt something was still missing. Then I passed by a Van Heusen store, attracted by a very catchy caption and a banner of a lady model in a breathtaking business suite I entered the store. As soon as I tried the first formal shirt there was a wave of self-realisation within myself. It made me realise that throughout my career so far, dressing well on important occasions has always been a confidence booster for me. Wearing a Van Heusen formal shirt I felt rejuvenated and somewhere at the back of my mind, I felt that I have found the missing piece of my confidence.
Thanks to Van Heusen, so many professionals around the globe now wear their confidence on their sleeve. From my first professional interview to the undergraduate recruitment process, the first day at work till last, MBA entrance interview, till this day when I am preparing for summer placements at Goa Institute of Management I have always worn a Van Heusen which has always boosted my self-belief and adorned me.
The biggest challenge I have overcome in my life.
“As with the butterfly, adversity is necessary to build character in people.” — Joseph B. Wirthlin
Working as a Food Quality Officer at one of the historic, strong and big FMCG brands whose products are consumed all over India, I have always maintained a very diligent approach towards food quality testing and a zero-tolerance approach for any quality deviations in raw materials used to make the finished food product. A single lapse in raw material quality could have devastating effects on consumers health.
But there was this one incident when the entire production unit was on its heels during a festive season, which brought out the strongest character within me which was of the one who “Speaks Up”. Owing to the festive season there was a huge surge in demand for products. This led to a slippage of some low-quality raw material from a particular vendor.
Below par, test results were being ignored by a superior. On raising the issue repeatedly it was being ignored. I bypassed the person in charge and raised my concerns to the plant head in a common forum as I could not see quality being compromised. The dilemma was created because the superior could affect my career prospects in the organisation if I had escalated the issue.
Despite being the junior most officer in my team I chose to “Speak-up”. Where others chose to be silent under the influence of power I chose to keep food quality above all and “Speak-Up”.